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The semifinals of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup starts tomorrow with the match between New Zealand and the host, India. India are flying in this tournament, winning all nine games in the group round. Moreover, they are the only team that hasn’t lost a single game yet.
As the home team, Team India is a clear favorite to win the World Cup. But New Zealand are strong enough to challenge the home side tomorrow at Wankhede Stadium. However, New Zealand’s journey in the tournament wasn’t smooth enough. They had a great start, but four defeats in a row risk their chance to qualify for the semifinals. The Black Caps, anyway, won their must-win game against Sri Lanka and booked their place in the semifinal.
New Zealand have been known as the most unfortunate team in cricket. Having played in eight semifinals, the Black Caps never have won the trophy. New Zealand were also the runner-up of the Men’s World Cup in 2019, losing the final against England in a crazy super over. But they are now very determined to win their first-ever World Cup event.
Stats & Facts
Semifinals are always very unpredictable. Although New Zealand played eight semifinals, their winning rate is not decent enough, only 25%. The Black Caps have lost six and won only two of those matches.
Meanwhile, India played one game less than New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal. Out of their seven matches, Team India qualified for the finals three times with a winning rate of 42.86%.
Anyway, India have faced off against New Zealand in 10 ODI World Cup games. Both sides featured very competitive matches in those ten meetings, but New Zealand won one game more than India. The Black Caps registered five victories in those ten matches in the World Cup, while India won four. The remaining game ended without a result.
Bowlers from both sides dominated in those ten meetings. India’s highest score against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup is 274, while New Zealand’s maximum run was 273.
Players to Watch
Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli is having a fantastic World Cup for India. With 594 runs in nine games, Virat Kohli is now the leading runscorer in the ODI World Cup 2023. Kohli missed several centuries but registered two hundred as of now. However, he has scored more fifties (5) than any other player in this World Cup. Virat Kohli is obviously one of the most important players for Team India. He alone can change the game at any time.
Rachin Ravindra: This World Cup has witnessed a rising talent showing his potential to the world. Rachin Ravindra was born in India but grew up in New Zealand. Now he is featuring the Black Caps in the World Cup. Although it is his first-ever World Cup, Rachin Ravindra has been playing like an experienced player. He has already scored 565 runs in the World Cup with an average of 70.62 runs.
The 23-year-old all-rounder also registered three centuries in this tournament. India must stop him as early as possible to tie up the Black Caps at a low score.
